Improvement in thill-couplings



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. N

EDWARD e. sMITE, or comune, NEW vonk.

IMPROVEMENT IN THlLLcOLlPLlNGS.

Specication forming' part of Letters Patent No. 150,091, dated April 21, 1874; application tiled June 2S, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, EDWARD G. SMITH, of Corning, in the county of Steuben and State of New York, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Thill-Goupling; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings making a part of this specication and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure l ot' the drawings is a representation of my improved thill couplin g by a central longitudinal section. Fig. 2 is a central crosssection of the saine. Figs. 3 and 4 are detailed views.

My invention relates to 'chill-couplings; and it consists of the improved construction and arrangement of the constituent parts, by which the pivotpin is only slightly moved in its bearings for the purpose of coupling and uncoupling, and by which the fastening of the pivotpin effects also the steadying of the lugs, between which the thill-head is secured.

In the drawings, A represents a carriageclip with two lugs, B B', which are provided with bosses, b b', for the reception otl a pivotpin. The said pivot-pin consists of a bolt, c, with a screw-thread, c which is fitted into the boss b, a step, C, and a hexagon or Octagon base, c2, on a head, c3, for the purpose of applying a screw-wrench. rIhe thill-head D on the thill-band Dl is Iitted between the lugs B Bf, and is provided with a transverse slot, d, of the size of the bolt c, and with a recess, d', large enough to receive the step C, which enters it to a short distance or until its shoulder z reaches the end of the recess. The thill-head is made stronger than usual to counteract the weakening effects of the slot d.

To couple or uncouple the thill-head, the pivot-pin is unscrewed until the step C arrives with its end at the boss b1. The thill-head D will readily slide over the bolt c. vW'hen the thill-head is to be coupled again it is passed with the slot dover the bolt c; then, by apply ing a wrench to the head c2, the pin is screwed into its proper position, the step C projecting beyond the boss b and fitting the recess d in the thill-head D. The thill-head is now so secured to its proper place that it may be turned in any direction without slipping ott' the pivotpin, which is owing to the larger diameter oi' the step C, which is partly embedded in the thill-head, and by its size is prevented from entering the slot d. The slot d is so inclined that the metal at the point of junction between the thill-baud and the thill-head may be made very strong without impairin g its neat appearance. l

This construction requires the pivot-pin to stay within its bearings in the bosses b b and thereby avoids its loss. The shoulder z on the step C is made to bear against the shoulder z'in the recess d', whereby the thill-hcad is prevented from working loose between the bosses and from rattling during the progress of the carriage. The bosses b b are prevented from getting apart by the head c2 of the pivotpin on one side and the screw-thread c on the opposite side.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The thill-coupling having the thill-head D, the inclined slot d, and the cylindrical recess d', in combination with the bolt o, having screw-threads c, step C, and the polygonal base c2, all constructed as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

E. G. SMITH. Witnesses:

J. S. ROBINSON, S. O. MAsTEns. 

